30.08.2022.

Minister Stefanović at promotion ceremony for 75 new reserve officers

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, has attended a promotion ceremony at the Military Academy today. By the decree of the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić, 75 students of the Reserve Officers Course have been promoted to the rank of reserve second lieutenant. Minister Stefanović congratulated them on being promoted to second lieutenants, saying that they must never forget that we have only one homeland, Serbia, which we are obliged to help and love with all our hearts.

He presented wristwatches with engraved dedications to the best reserve officers in the March 2022 Class, Tijana Milošević (141th class, Infantry), Miloš Stojanović (18th class, Medical Corps) and Nemanja Danković (106th class, Telecommunications) and congratulated them on remarkable success.

Addressing the newly promoted reserve officers of the Serbian Armed Forces, the Minister of Defence pointed out that the path they had chosen was not easy, but it was very honourable.

- Today, I have met 75 young people who have come to serve their country, young men and women from all corners of our country, with education in different fields, different desires and dreams, but with the same love for Serbia. I thank you for that, because your love for the homeland is felt and we all really appreciate it. The path you have chosen is not easy, but it is very honourable. You might have taken this path in order to get to know yourselves better, to test your limits, or perhaps to prepare yourselves better for life. Following this path, you will become aware of your own strength, but what is even more important is unity and working together with others, because without that, there is no success and no good results - said the minister.

As of today, your relatives, your families, your neighbours, but also people you have never met, the citizens of our country, will start counting on you to be there in all situations, whenever needed, said Minister Stefanović.

- This honourable profession requires a big heart, strong will, and great knowledge, which you have shown by successfully completing the six-month training. As far as my colleagues have told me, most of you want to continue your career in the units of the Serbian Armed Forces, and I thank you sincerely for that - said the minister.

Reserve officers, along with the officers of our armed forces, have always been the backbone of our country's defence, he said.

- They played that role both in peace and in war. Even the famous Serbian military commander Stepa Stepanović, who founded the Association of Reserve Officers and Soldiers back in 1919, was once a reserve officer in our army. Their role in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and all other wars that Serbia fought to defend its freedom, was pivotal. Milutin Milanković, one of the world's greatest minds and the greatest Serbian scientists, the Ribnikar brothers, founders of "Politika", Aleksandar Deroko, a famous Serbian architect and one of the first Serbian military pilots, and many other notable Serbs were reserve officers. Even a hundred years ago, only the best were selected as reserve officers, and they became important figures in the military, but also in various other spheres of our society - said Minister Stefanović.

"I hope that you will take that road, too, and build your career with honour and honesty and be the pride of your family, your loved ones, your military, but also the pride of the entire Serbia," the minister said to the youngest Serbian reserve officers.

- I am glad that you are coming at a time when our military is well equipped, when it can provide quality equipment, technology and modern weapons. We do not deploy our soldiers anywhere empty-handed, we do not want any war anywhere, we fight for peace with all our might, and with the strength of our military we send a clear message that a strong and prosperous Serbia can exist as an independent country only with a strong military - said the minister, once again congratulating the new officers and their families.

Military Academy’s Reserve Second Lieutenant Tijana Milošević, who ranked first in the March 2022 Class, addressed the audience on behalf of her class. According to her, the Serbian Armed Forces have produced another generation of reserve second lieutenants, ready to fight for the freedom of their people and homeland even in the most difficult circumstances.

- We owe it to our ancestors, and we must not disappoint them. Because freedom is a value that exceeds the lifetime of one person, i.e. of one generation - Second Lieutenant Milošević pointed out.

The March 2022 Class, consisting of seventy-five students, has completed the reserve officers’ training with a GPA of 8.81. As of today, the Serbian Armed Forces have 56 new Infantry reserve officers, 12 new Telecommunications reserve officers, and seven new reserve officers in the Medical Corps.

Assistant Minister for Human Resources Katarina Tomašević, Rector of the Defence University, Lieutenant General Goran Radovanović, PhD, Head of the Human Resources Department, General Staff, Brigadier General Savo Iriškić, Commandant of the Military Academy Colonel Srđan Blagojević, PhD, Head of the Defence Minister’s Office Colonel Stevan Kotarlić and families of promoted reserve officers were also in attendance at today's ceremony.